British Republican Party

The British Republican Party was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom that existed from 1805 to 1820, originating as a radical faction of the Whig Party. Led by Merlin Rose, the Republican Party advocated the replacement of the constitutional monarchy with a democratically-elected republic, and the party also sought to save Great Britain from the economic turmoil that the Napoleonic Wars had caused. The Republicans were eager to make peace with the enemies of the country, as they sought to focus on British issues first, but the arrogance of Emperor Napoleon I led to continued warfare with the First French Empire and its allies. Ultimately, the republican movement would fail to gain enough popular support to win elections, and it was suppressed in the aftermath of the 1820 Cato Street Conspiracy.